April iPad Pro, goodbye HomePod, plus how Apple leaks work on the AppleInsider podcast

HomePod has been discontinued

After multiple sources claimed Apple would hold an event on March 23, no event invitations were issued in time and prominent leakers such as Jon Prosser admitted they had been wrong. Prosser now claims there will be an April Apple event to announce the new iPad Pro, which would be the first time in 10 years Apple has held an event in April.

Bloomberg added that the forthcoming iPad Pro models will be powered by a new A-series chip that will provide performance on-par with the M1. They also claim that mini-LED technology will come to the 12.9-inch iPad Pro and the lineup could introduce new internal technologies such as Thunderbolt connectivity.

This is all based on leaks and industry sources, and knowing what to give credence to has become a skill. We talk about the whole culture of leaks around Apple news, and also what the process looks like behind the scenes.

Apple didn't leak that it is discontinuing the original HomePod in favor of the more popular HomePod mini, it just came out and said it. In an official statement Apple said, "We are focusing our efforts on HomePod mini" going on to say the mini has "been a hit since its debut last fall".

The original HomePod's pricing of $350 and its niche appeal most likely contributed to limited popularity. But without a high-quality speaker, its demise leaves a gap in the Apple ecosystem when we consider sound quality, HomeKit, Shortcuts, and Siri. We discuss the possibility of Apple introducing another high-end speaker in the future or whether HomePod was truly the last of its kind.

Then Intel has launched a series of ads with former "I'm a Mac" actor Justin Long promoting Windows computers. While some of these 30-second videos hold some truth, the coming launch of Apple Silicon Macs and rumored iMac refresh would render many of these ads obsolete.

At the end of the show we ask listeners for guidance on iPad storage issues when producing videos in iMovie. Given limited storage on iPad, we look for ways to retrieve an iMovie project without deleting the source videos.

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Links from the show

• What do classical musicians think about AirPods Max? - YouTube
• Classical musicians review AirPods Max
• New iPad Pro with 'A14X' chip and Thunderbolt to arrive as soon as April
• Apple event predicted for April, not March 23
• Apple seeded disinformation about March 23 event to root out leakers, leaker says
• Mini-LED iPad Pro not expected to ship until April at the earliest
• Mark Gurman responds to Apple feeding misinformation to leakers
• Apple Maps updated with COVID-19 vaccine locations
• HomePod is discontinued, but isn't dead yet - Apple's 'end of life' explained
• Apple discontinues full-size HomePod, to focus on HomePod mini
• Unreleased Apple Silicon iMac leaked by Xcode Crash Reporter
• Intel is now making 'Mac versus PC' ads with Justin Long
• Having Choices - Intel - YouTube
• Intel tweets about dongles
• John Hodgman returns to critique Apple Silicon advancements

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